Sheet-inverting apparatus especially applicable for use in connection with printing-machines.



T. M. NORTH. SHEET INVERTING APPARATUS ESPEGIALLYAPPLICABLE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH PRINTING MACHINES.

v I V APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9,1967. v 98.6, 1 5 i a Patented 001;. 5, 1909..

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

I T. M. NORTH, SHEET INVEETING APPARATUS ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH PRINTING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED EAR. 9, 1907.

93 6 11. 51 a I Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

esHnETs-sHEBT 2.

l l 1 I I i l I l g l Q WZZW I jimw ma. w

is? 34W W T. M. NORTH. SHEET INVERTING APPARATUS ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1907. 936, 1 5 1 Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

I T. M. NORTH. SHEET INVERTING APPARATUS ESPECIALLY APPLIGABLB FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAE. 9, 1907. 986,151. Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

1 M. NORTH.

SHEET INVERTING APPARATUS ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR USE IN CONNECTION WITH PRINTING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9, 1907.

Patented 0ct.5, 1909" e SHEETS-SHEET a" I. M. NORTH.

SHEET INVER'I'I'NG APPARATUS ESPECIALLY APPLICABLE FOR USE IN GONNEGTION WITH PRINTING MACHINES APPLICATION FILED MAR. 9 1907. I 936 1 5 1 a Patented Oct. 5, 1

e sums-sum a,

UNITED. sures PATENT OFFICE.

- THOMAS 1:. NORTH, or LONDORENGLAND, AssIGNon 'ro LINOTYPE AND MACHINERY LIMITED, or toneonfenernnn sirEEr-mvm'rme A PARATUS .Esrnomtnir ArrLIoaBLE roe use INco N orIon m'rn: .BRINTINe-MAorrInEs.

To all whom it may) concern: I

.Be it known that I, Tnoiyrns Mennirinrio NORT a subject of. the Kingof .the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; ,residingat 188 and 1.8.9 leet street, in the cityof London, England,.have invented new and useful Improvements in Sheet-Invrt-g mg Apparatus Especially Applicable for 'Use in iConnection with .Printing-Machines,' 10 ,of which {the following is a specification.

This invention relates to sheet-inverting appar.a-tns especially applicable. for use. in.

connection with printing machines especially when these latter are arranged in what isv .';known as? tandem and, when so arranged',f are capable of being used either coopera-; :tivelyfor producing multi-color work .or perfected work alternatively, or independ-z ently 'ofeach other for' enabling {the machines to beused separately for producing ,a number of separate jobs,.each the resnltofl a, different] machine of the series. arrangement oftandem printing machines capable of Y producing the above named results has already been described in ;the specification of Letters Patent No.

819,307 and the object of the present inven- .tion -is to provideimproved'means for attaining thesanie results. 3O

chines, but it is to be understood that it is ;n ot1li mited to such an applicati on."

The invention its applicationtofprintijng machines,may be said. to consist'es sen- I tially of means whereby each sheet," after receiving its impression in the, first printing couple, is seized,. withdrawn transversely from its line oftravel, inverted, "and forth- 40 with moved transversely into the line of travel, thence to be fed to the next printing couple with the white or blank-side in position for receiving .theimpression in that couple; there are also provided means' whereby this sheet inverter may be rendered ineii'ective so that the sheets shall be fed to thesecond machine in an .uninvertedcondition for receiving the second impression on the first one for producing Inulti-color work,

and also, if desired, means for-enabling'the' sheets to be delivered directly on to the detlivery boards of the respective machines.

The invention wil l be best understood by .Specificationof Letters Patent.

' Application filed March 9, 1907. Serial No. 361,538.

As a, convement example the invention is- -hereindescribedas; applied to printing Ina-'5 Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

reference to the accompanying drawings, Which are to be taken as part of th s specification andread therewith, and in which drawings Figures 1 and 1* are respectively the left and righthand halves of a side elevation "of as much of a printing machine (as seen .from the feeder'side thereof) as is necessary .to'show the application thereto of the sheet 5 inverter; Fig. 2 is a plan of the mechanism shown in Fi 1' Fi s. 3 and 3 are res ec- 7 e P ,tively the leftand right-hand halves of a transverse vertical section, and Figs. 4 and 4 the respective leftandright-hand halves .of a-plan, of part of the sheet inverter, and -Figs. 5 and 6 are respectively an end view well-known manner, adjustable along. a shaft ,4 forming part of a lifter frame 5Jwhich, at (the required times, is raised and allowed to .descend by two cams 6 one acting on each end of the said frame; onlyone of these cams is shownin-the drawings and that, in v dotted lines "in Fig. 1%,-

The two cams 6 are fast on the shaft] which, through an arm 8 (also fast on the said shaft) and an inclined link 9, has an oscillating motion imparted to it from .a

,crank 10 fast to (the machine cam shaft 11,

all as shown in Figs. 1 and 1 The link 9 is capable of being disconnected from the arm 8 so as to render the sticks 2 inoperative, as

for example when it is desired to produce either single impressionor multi-color' work.

y In suitable bearings 12- at the respectively opposite sides-of the machine, there is rotatable a shaft or 1 4, each having fast thereon two sprocket wheels 15,- the four wheelsform'ing twopairs, each ofsuch pairs [gearing with an endless chain 16- encircling 'them. The two chainS lG are parallel with each other and, at one part of their length,

are rigidly connected together by a bar 17 formed in part with, or having rigidly attached thereto either two, three (asshown) or more bearings 18 in which a gripper shaft 19 is free to oscillate. ()n this gripper shaft 19 are secured two or more grippers 20 which, through the influence of aspring 21,-

engage alternately with two cams 24, 25.'

These cams are-adjustably attached to two slotted bars26, 27, secured to two brackets 28, 29 on which are formed those of the before mentioned bearings 12 which are situated at the feeder side of the machine. The cams 24, are each pivoted ona stud 30 or 31 respectively, each such stud being se- ,4 cured in any desired position upon therespective slotted bar 26 or 27 by a nut 32 series to the next following one, tl*

scr'ewed'upon one of its ends, as will be read= ily understood by reference to Figs. at and 4 The cam 24: has fast to it a pin '33 adapted normallyto rest in contact with a fixed stop 34: Wl IiCl1, 'COI1jOlI1tl Y with the pin 83, serves to support the cam 24 in its lowest. position while it offers no restriction to it moving in an upward direction, to say the positionin which it is in part shown indot and dash lines in Fig. 3. The cam 25 is similarly. provided with a pin 35 which, by a coiled spring 36, is normally pressed against a fixed stop 37 so as normally to retain the said cam in the position in which it is represented in full lines inFig. 3*, while, at the same time, allowing it to be depressed against the influence of the spring.

36, to, say, the position in which it is in part shown in dotted lines,'as distinguished from dot and dash lines, in that figure, the said cam, when released after such depression, being immediately thereafter returned by the spring 36 to its above-named normal position.

On the shaft 13 is secured a bevel tooth wheel 38 meshing with a corresponding wheel 39 fast on an inclined shaft 40 which, through a pair of bevel gear wheels a1 and a horizontal shaft 12 (the latter geared to the traveling bed of the machine) receives rotary motion alternately in opposite "directions.

Transverse to the length of the chains 16 and therefore parallel with the direction of the general travel of the sheets t3 through the machine, or from one machine of the ere are provided a set of endless carrier ta es adapted to be intermittently operated ways in the direction necessary to carry sheets onward toward the next machine of the series, these tapes, as shown in Figs. 1 and. 1, and in dotted lines in Figs. 3 and 3 being situated between the upper and lower flights of the sprocket chains 16 so that the grippers 20, after seizing the sheet 43, below the lower flight of the carrier tapes 44, as shown in Fig. '3, may release the sheet when it is over the upper flight of the said carrier tapes and thereby allow these tapes, by their onward motion to carry the sheet towardthe next machine. The carrier tapest encircle tape rollers 45, 46 fast on, shafts 47, 48 re-- spectively, which are free to rotate in bearings 49 conveniently formed in one part with the before-mentioned bearings 12. On the end of the shaft 47 there .is loosely mounted a miter gear wheel 50 adapted, through a suitable free wheel or automatic one-way clutch 51-shown in detail in Figs. 5 and 6--tointermittently rotate the said shaft 47 in thedirection indicated by the arrows a in Figs. 2 and 5, the rotation of the miter wheel 50 in the opposite direction hav-.

ing no effect upon the shaft as is already well understood in connection with existing similarly operated carrier tapes. The miter 3 wheel 50 is in constant gear with a similar wheel 52, Fig. 1?, fast upon the upper end of the before mentioned inclined shaft 10.

Whenkthe lifting sticks 2 are in-their position of-rest, that is to say, their lowest position, their upper surfaces, as shown in Figs. 1 and .1, are situated in a plane slightly lower than that containing the upper flights of a second set of carrier tapes 53 arranged to travel continuously in direction parallel with the said sticks as indicated by the arrows bin F ig.-1. The function of the tapes 53 is to bring the sheets 43 from the impression cylinder 1 to a proper position over the lifting sticks 2 preparatory to the latter lifting. them into the operative sphere of the before described grippers.

The tapes 53 receive their motion from a gear 54 fast on the impression cylinder shaft 55 and gearing with a compbund intermediate wheel 56 which, in turn, gears with a wheel 57 fast on the tape roller shaft 58.

The tape roller shaft 59 has fast thereon a spur wheel (30 gearing with an adjustable intermediate wheel 61 which, in turn, gearswith a wheel 62 fast on a tape roller shaft (33 servingto operate the delivery tapes 64. The shaft (33 is capable of being mounted in either of the two sets of bearings 65, 66, according to whether the sheets are to be delivered to the next printing couple of the rotated by the shaft ($3 serving to effect such delivery.

When the mechan ism is arranged as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 1, the sheets are delivered to the next printing couple printed series, printed side down or up, the tapes 64,

the before described link 9 is disconnected from the arm 8 in a manner already well known, so that the sticks 2 will remain in their lowest position and the intermediate wheel -61 and wheel 62 are lowered, the former then being rotatably attached to the boss 67 and the latter supported in the bearings 66, by which means the sheets will pass directly from the carrier tapes 53 to the delivery tapes 64 as-will now be well understood.'

When the machine is to be worked as a separate unit, the delivery tapes 64 and their operating roller or rollers 68, Fig. 2, are

' entirely removed from the machine, and an adjustable delivery board 69 (part of which is shown in Fig. 1 in dotted lines in two different positions) is brought into requisition, the sheets being delivered on to this board direct from the carrier tapes 53 without having previously been acted upon by the sticks 2 when the delivery is to be printed side up, and direct from the carrier tapes 44, after inversion by the sheet inverter, when the delivery is to be printed side down.

- To insure the sheets always being fed up to the same position on the lifting sticks 2,

the latter are provided wit-h suitable front stops 70.

The reason for mounting the two cams 24, 25 adjustably on the slotted bars 26, 27 is to 'enable them to be adjusted to suit the different sizes of sheets which the inverter may be required to deal with. The chains 16 travel the same distance for all sizes of sheets dealt with, and that being so, it will be observed that for the smaller sizes, the grippers 20, besides passing and re-passing thecam 24' as they must do for all sizes,

also pass and re-pass the cam 25, which may be then ina position such as that shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3 the roller 23 passing'in one direction beneath the cam 25 toopen the gripper 20 and thereby release'the sheet, and in the other direction passing over the cam 25 and, asshown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, depressing it against the action of its spring 36 to allow it to re- Just before the roller 23 reaches the last-named position it comes into contact with the cam 24 which causes the said roller to ascend and thereby open the grippers 20 which, in this open condition, are moved on to the edge of the sheet 43, the further travel of the chain 16 moving the roller 23 off the cam whereupon the grippers 20, under the influence of their spring 21 are caused to immediately seize the sheet 43; this is the position in which the mechanism is shown in Figs. 3 and 3 At the commencement of the travel of the chains 16 in the reverse direction, the roller 23 passes beneath the cam 24 which, by turning upon its pivot into the position in which it is shown in dot and dash lines in Fig. 3, admits of this passage without in any way disturbing the grip exercised by the grippers 20 on the sheet-..

It is to be observed as a matter of great importance that owing to the before described inversion of the sheets taking place transversely as distinguished from in a foreand-aft direction as'in the case for example, with fly sticks, the registration of the sheets may always-be effected from the same edges, viz :the leading ones, throughout the several machines of the series, and therefore the registration of the different impressions is rendered more uniform and reliable than has hitherto been general with existing arrangements.

The above-named series of machines may comprise any desired number of separable units any one or more of which may be provided with the before-described transverse inverters, the arrangement and number of these machines depending upon the particular results required to be obtained.

In this specification certain edges of the sheets are referred to as the leading edges by which are meant those edges which are foremost in the direction of general travel of the sheets through the machine, and, as will now be well understood, it is the object of the present invention to provide means for inverting these sheets without converting the said leading edges into following ones, or, in other words, causing them .to become the rearmost edges as regards the direction of the general travel of the sheets through the machine, and it is to be understood that the said invention is limited to only those devices which are capable of inverting the sheet in the last-named manner.

I claim:

1. In combination sheet conveying means comprising two superposed portions both operative to convey a sheet in oneand the same direction, and sheet inverting means operative transversely to and across said conveying means and adapted to withdraw ,a sheet from one portion of said conveying means and deliver it to the other portion.

2. In combination sheet conveying means comprising two superposed endless conveyers both operative to convey a sheet in one and the same direction, and inverting conveyer operative transversely to said conveymg means, and means carried upon said inverting conveyor and operative during travel of the inverting conveyer to remove a sheet from'on'e of said superposed conveyors and deliver it to the other of said superposed conveyors.

3. In combination sheet conveying means in two superposed portions both operative to convey ashee'tin one direction, lifting means.

operative beneath the first portion to raise a sheet therefrom and sheet inverting means operative transversely to said conveying means to remove the sheet from said lifter and deliver it to the upper portion of said conveying means.

e. In a sheet inverter applicable for use in connection with printing machines, the coinbination of devices adapted to support the ieets to be inverted, devices the sheets oil the supports,

sheets, move them edgewise in a direction transverse to the direction of their general line ct travel through the machines, invert them, return them, in an inverted condition,

into position wherein they are parallel With and directly over the position occupied by the .1 immediately before the above-named movement, and release them, and carrier devices adapted to receive them when so re-;

leased and carry them to the next machine of the series.

$3. in combination sheet conveying means in two portions both operative to convey a sheet in one direction. a chain sheet-tractor arranged transversely of said portions and comprising grippers operative to Withdraw a. sheet from onepz'irtion and dr w it over he other pm'l and releasing ineans op- -17; ire to "s .l grippers when said Jar-rt is 1]] i w ith said other portion.

T, in cot. v2: sheet conveying inc-ans two ptfllltnlfa coth operative to convey a sheet in one direction, a chain sheehtractor arranged tranwerscly of said portions and cor o ising grippers operative to Withdraw a s3. """in one port ion and draw it over the (:fi. Will). L jaw oi each gripper, a spring to each gripper operative to l close said gripper, and cams in the pat rot said arms are parallel with and directly H inverter applicable for useination of devices adapted.

cs adapted to successively seize the" portion, an arm in rigid connect-ion at the receiving and delivering positions operative on said arms to open said grippers.

8. In a sheet inverter applicable for use in connection.vvith printing machines, the combination of devices adapted to support the sheets to be inverted, devices adapted to lift the sheets oif the supports, parallel chains adapted to travel in directions perpendicular to the direction of the general travel of, the sheets through the machines,

grippers on the chains adapted to grip the "sheets, a spring adapted to close the grippers, sprocket Wheels situated in the bights ofthe chains, and cams adapted to open the grippers for receiving and releasing the sheets.

9. In a sheet inverter applicable for use in connection with printing machines, the combination of devices adapted to support the sheets to be inverted, devices adapted to lift the sheets oil" the supports, parallel chains adapted to travel in directions perpendicular to the direction of the general travel of the sheets through the machines. grippers on the chains adapted to grip the sheets, a spring adapted to close the grippers, an arm in rigid connection with the grippers for opening-them, and cams adjustable in the path of this arm adapted to open the grippet's. 10. In a sheet inverter applicable for use in connection With printing machines, the combination of parallel chains adapted to travel in directions perpendicular to the direction of the general travel of the sheets through the machines, grippers on the chains adapted to grip the sheets, a spring adapted-- to close the grippers, sprocket wheels situated in bights of the chains, and carrier tapes traveling between the parallel flights of each chain in a direction perpendicular to the latter.

11. In a sheet inverter applicable for use in connection with printing machines, the

combination of parallel chains adapted to travel in directions perpendicular to the di rection of the general travel of the sheets through the machines, grippers on the chains adapted to grip the sheets, lifting sticks adapted to lift the sheets into the path of, the grippers, devices operatively connected with the lifting sticks, adapted to intermittently raise the lifting sticks, and carrier tapes traveling between the parallel flights of each chain in a direction perpendicular to the latter.

12. In a i inverter applicable for use 1th printing machines, the combine, parallel chains adapted to travel in .1 "ins perpendicular to the di-' rection of general travel of the sheets through the machine. the chains adapted to grip the carrier tapes below the chains, endless carrier tapes between the'pa'railel" flights of each chain, adapted to operate them intermittently a1 vboth sets of carrier-tapes traveling, in direcways in the same direction. Y 10 p tions perpendicular to the chain's, lifting In witness whereof I have hereunto set my sticks adapted to liftthe sheets into'the path hand in the presence of two witnesses.

ed with the lifting sticks, adapted to inter- I Witnesses:

5 of'the grippers, devices operatively connect- THOMAS M. NORTH.

fmittently raise them, and mechanism opera- WARWICK HY. WILLIAMS, -[tively cennected with the two sets of tapes WM. SUTHERLAND ROBINSON. 

